


A Dustland Fairytale

by DarkVictory



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Bantering, Bickering, Flirting, Fluffy Angst, Insecure Daryl, M/M, Road Trip, flirty Jesus, sex worker slurs used in the second chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2018-09-21 06:46:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9536534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkVictory/pseuds/DarkVictory
Summary: Jesus likes Daryl but Daryl's got issues.  Maybe a road trip will work 'em out?  (okay, so it's your standard 'Daryl and Jesus get together' fic but they're fun for a reason)Follows canon up until end of season 7A.  Takes place soon after all-out war with the Saviors where our heroes were of course victorious.  (minor edits made to Chapter 1 on April 8/17)





	1. Chapter 1

“He requested me?”

Rick nodded.

“Why would he do that?” Daryl asked skeptically.

“Didn’t ask.”

“Why not?  God only knows what motives that sneaky little shit has.”

“I think his motives are to find supplies,” Rick said reasonably.

“And he’s always done that solo, why’s he suddenly want help?”

“Because finding anything now requires a multi-day trip and it’s just not safe to go alone anymore.”  Rick glanced up from the strained peas he was attempting to feed Judith.  “That’s the reason he gave me.  And he’s right.  To make these trips worthwhile now, you need to take a large vehicle and not come back until it’s filled.  And there’s no way anyone can do that alone anymore.”

Daryl muttered “Still don’t like it.”

Rick gave up on the peas.  “Daryl, it’s been months.  He’s put his life on the line for us so many times, and we couldn’t have taken out the Saviors without him.  _You_ are the only one around here who still doesn’t trust him.  Why is that?”

Daryl shrugged and kept his eyes on the floor.

“Well, get over it.  You and Jesus are taking the Escape tomorrow and I don’t want you back until it’s filled with something useful.”  He picked up the jar of peas again and turned back to Judith.

“Maybe I could go with someone else…” Daryl ventured.

Rick dropped the spoon in the jar and fixed him with a look.  “There _is_ no one else, you know that.  Everyone is busy rebuilding or recovering, and you and him are the best we got at scavenging.”  He waited for another protest, but Daryl just chewed nervously at a fingernail.  “Alright, we done now?”

Daryl just nodded.

“Good.  Jesus was already mapping out a route, and since he knows Virginia way better than us I think you oughta go with his plan.”  Daryl nodded again and turned to leave.  “And hey, go easy on the guy.  I mean, _we_ love that you’re a son of a bitch, but that attitude is an acquired taste.”

\---

Daryl walked slowly back to his house, still chewing at his fingernail.  There didn’t seem to be a way out of this.  At least not without telling Rick the real reason he was avoiding Jesus.

_I like you._

He shook his head and pushed open the door to his house—and drew up short at the sight of Jesus standing at the kitchen island with several maps spread out before him.  Jesus glanced up and his blue eyes met Daryl’s, transporting his mind to his last trip to Hilltop one month ago, and a conversation that had changed everything.

 

_“I couldn’t remember if I ever thanked you directly, so…thanks.”_

_Daryl turned away from the truck he was unloading.  “The hell you talkin’ about?”_

_Jesus chuckled.  “I’m thanking you.”_

_“For what?”_

_He shrugged.  “For everything.”_

_Daryl didn’t respond, just turned back to the truck._

_“Okay, okay, I did have something else I wanted to say.”  Jesus appeared at Daryl’s left side and paused.  When Daryl didn’t stop pulling boxes forward in the truck bed, he put his hand on Daryl’s to stop him.  “What I wanted to say…” He moved in close enough for Daryl to feel his warm breath on his cheek.  “…is that…I like you.”  Jesus’ eyes searched the older man’s face for any reaction but Daryl was using all his willpower to keep his face neutral.  “That’s….that’s okay.  You process this.  Think about it.  Take all the time you need.”  He slowly pulled his hand off of Daryl’s and took a step back—then quickly stepped close again.  “And just to be clear, when I say I like you, I do mean in a romantic-slash-sexual way.”  Still no reaction from Daryl.  “Alright, you think about it.”  He gave Daryl a slap on the back before walking away._

_The slap gave Daryl the jolt he needed to start breathing again._

“The hell you think you’re doin’ in my house?”

“I figured you’d want to see the routes I’ve plotted for us.  We’re gonna go further than we’ve ever gone before, hope you’re okay with that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Daryl growled.

Jesus raised an eyebrow.  “It…means just what I said?  There’s nothing left in anywhere small that can be reached in a couple of days.  We either have to go much further out or we have to go into the cities.”

“Not a good idea.”

“We have to.”

“We don’t know what kind of people we’ll run into there!”

“You and I can be sneaky.  If we see any groups, we can avoid them.  Or do surveillance; see if they might be people we could trade with.”

Daryl scoffed.  “Doubt it.  Did anyone tell you what happened when we went back into Atlanta?”

“Yeah, Carol did, and I know it didn’t go well—“

“Maggie’s sister was killed!”

“But this is different.  We’re looking for supplies, and it’ll just be the two of us, being as stealthy as possible.  You know I’m right.”

“Maybe we could just try the suburbs?”

“We’ve cleaned them out.”  Jesus walked over and stood right in front of Daryl.  “I know going in deep is scary but I’ll be right there with you.”

Daryl blinked.  “Are you…are you fucking with me right now?”

Jesus’ face was all innocence.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  He headed for the door.  “I think we should start with Arlington.  You can see the route I plotted to it on the first map.  If you want to start smaller we can try Annandale first, that’s on the second map.”  He gave Daryl a wide smile.  “Be ready bright and early tomorrow.”  He winked and headed out the door.

Daryl watched through the window as Jesus walked away, thinking this trip was going to be nothing but trouble and only the survival of his family depending on it could make him go.

\---

“Don’t,” Daryl grunted as Jesus moved to put a disc in the SUV’s CD player.

“No music?  You want us to drive in silence?”

“I already put up with Rick’s shitty music; I ain’t puttin’ up with yours.”

“My music isn’t shitty.  Besides, I thought even you would rather listen to any music rather than endure a long, awkward silence with me.  A silence I’d probably feel the need to fill with lots of chatter.”

Daryl sighed, grabbed the disc from Jesus, and pushed it into the CD player.

“Thank you.  It’s only fair since you wouldn’t let me drive.  Thought you might actually shoot me to get the keys.”

“Wouldn’t waste the bullet.”

“Oh stop, save some charm for everyone else, Daryl!”  Jesus grinned and patted Daryl’s knee. 

Daryl’s leg tensed up involuntarily.  “Thought the point of the music was so we didn’t have to talk.  Let’s just listen to this whiny guy; he’s better than listenin’ to you, at least.”

“Oh no, you don’t like my music, I’m so surprised,” Jesus retorted, completely deadpan.  “This is Neutral Milk Hotel, and this album is one of the best ever made.”

“Debatable.”  He paused, taking a moment to actually listen to the song.  “It’s better than Rick’s banjo music, I’ll give it that.”

“What kind of music _do_ you like, then?”

“I dunno.”

“That’s ridiculous, how can you not know?”

“I dunno.”

“You think this is cute?” Jesus asked harshly.  “The standoffish, monosyllabic loner routine?”  He broke into a smile.  “Because it kinda is.”

Daryl felt his cheeks heat up, and refused to look at him.

“Okay, try this: what kind of music did you listen to—before the apocalypse—when you were working on your bike or something?”

“Radio.”

“What kind of station?” Jesus asked with exaggerated patience.  Just as Daryl opened his mouth to answer, he cut in with “And don’t say ‘I dunno’!”

“Don’t see why it matters, but it was classic rock.”

Jesus’ eyes lit up.  “Great!  A real answer!  I love classic rock, classic rock is _great_.”

Daryl gave a small nod, glad to have ended the ridiculous questioning.

“And it matters because I’m trying to get to know you better.  Because I _like_ you.  Remember?”

Daryl stiffened.  Since Jesus hadn’t mentioned his previous confession at all yet, he had assumed they were just going to pretend it hadn’t happened.  But no.  The little bastard had gone and lulled him into a false sense of security before springing it on him.  He swallowed uncomfortably and darted a glance at Jesus—only to see the other man watching him expectantly, wearing a shit-eating grin.  Daryl’s nervousness was quickly replaced by annoyance.  “Wipe that smirk off your face, asshole.”  Jesus laughed at that.  “I don’t know what the hell you expect me to say to shit like that.”

Jesus looked thoughtful for a moment.  “I guess all I expect you to say is how you feel.  Like ‘that’s great man, ‘cause I like you too!’ or ‘sorry, pal, I’m just not that into you’.  Obviously, I’m rooting for the first one.”

“How about ‘no thanks, jackass, I’m not gay’?”

He suppressed a smile.  “Yeah...that option didn’t seem…likely to me.”

“The hell’s that supposed to mean?” Daryl said in a dangerous tone.

“Stop,” Jesus said patiently, “Don’t do the angry, homophobic, redneck thing.  We both know that’s not who you are now, if you ever were in the first place, which I don’t believe you were.”

Since Daryl had immediately gotten angry at himself for sounding so much like Merle, he had to concede the point.  “So you think I’m gay?”

“Yes.  I do.”

“Why?”  This entire conversation had seemed to set Daryl’s cheeks on fire permanently, but he had to know why Jesus had come to that conclusion.

“Well, I had a feeling you were the instant we met.  Not based on anything, just a gut instinct.  Call it gaydar, whatever.  Then, as I got to know you and your community, I fit a few puzzle pieces together.”  He grinned.  “And made a gay puzzle.”

“What _pieces_?”

“Like the fact that everyone is pretty sure you haven’t hooked up with a single person since the turn—“

“They told you that?!”

“Not in so many words.  Don’t worry; your family wasn’t eager to blab your secrets.  I just happen to be very good at asking the right questions and getting the info I want in a roundabout way.”  His voice softened.  “They all think the world of you, you know that, right?”  Daryl didn’t answer, just shifted awkwardly in his seat.  “They’re all very protective of you.  And they all want to see you happy more than anything.”

“Never said I wasn’t,” Daryl mumbled.  “So, that’s it?  Just ‘cause I’m not making my way through women, that means I’m gay?”

“No, that’s not all.  I’ve seen you checking out guys.”  Daryl made a choked noise.  “In your community, in _my_ community.  Rick, more than anyone.  But you look a little sad looking at him.  So you don’t look at him nearly as much as you used to.  That’s good,” Jesus said kindly.  “We’ve all been there, with the crush on the straight friend.  And I think checking out other guys definitely helps.”

“I don’t check guys out!” He finally managed to sputter.

“Come on.  Don’t bullshit a bullshitter.  I know all about checking guys out without _looking_ like you’re doing it.  I know exactly what it looks like and I’ve seen you doing it.”

Daryl was suddenly tired of arguing the point.  “Fine, maybe I am gay.”  Jesus cocked an eyebrow.  “Okay, I probably am.”

“Admitting it is the first step,” Jesus remarked innocently.

“Funny.”

“Sooo…that does bring me back to my original question… _do_ you like me?”

Daryl sat up straighter in his seat.  During their entire conversation he had still been scanning their surroundings and watching the road.  And they were now coming into the city proper.  Jesus was still waiting for an answer.  Daryl rolled his eyes and muttered “Jury’s still out,” before nodding at the road in front of them.  “We’re here.  No more junior high chit chat.”

\---

Daryl hated to admit it, but they did work well as a team.  They both moved soundlessly and quickly, and they hardly needed words to communicate, doing it mostly through looks and gestures.  They hadn’t found much useful yet; they seemed to be in a neighborhood of upscale boutiques.  They decided to stop moving on foot until they actually spotted a useful store, and started slowly driving through the area.

Jesus broke the silence by noting “Hardly any cars left behind.  Their evacuation must have gone smoothly.”  Daryl grunted in agreement.  “How was the evacuation in Atlanta?”

“Just watch the stores.”

“I can do that _while_ taking.  One of my many talents is multi-tasking.”  Jesus paused.  “Did that sound dirty?  Is ‘multi-tasking’ some kind of double entendre?  I suppose I am good at multi-tasking in the bedroom.  Y’know, I can kiss while jerking you off…suck your dick while putting my fingers in your—“  He was cut off by his head nearly bouncing off the dashboard when Daryl stomped on the brakes.

“Jesus Christ!” Daryl yelled in frustration while he put the SUV into park.

“Yes?”

“Stop that,” Daryl growled.  “Stop making that joke, I’m never going to call you that!  And stop talking dirty, _Paul_.  We’re here to do a job so let’s just do it!”  Daryl didn’t realize his own double entendre until Paul started laughing uproariously.  “You know what I mean, let’s just get on with it,” he gritted out.  He threw the car back into drive and ignored the continuing laughter.

\---

The day had been a bust by the time they settled on a house to sleep in.  They had picked up non-essential, but still useful, items like clothes, shoes, paper, and pencils.  They could’ve filled the SUV with that stuff but their whole reason for venturing into the city was to find the essentials.  Neither man was willing to go back without a good find.

Daryl checked the entire house for walkers, then joined Paul upstairs.  “You can sleep, I’ll take first watch.”

Paul snickered.  “First watch, _right_.”  He noticed the confusion on Daryl’s face.  “Oh, you were serious.”

“’Course I am, dumbass.  Gotta have someone on guard.”

“Or we could do what I usually do…”  He reached up and pulled on the string dangling above his head, revealing a ladder.  “Lock ourselves in the attic and sleep peacefully without worrying about being found by walkers _or_ people.”  He paused.  “I can tell by that aghast look on your face that this idea has never occurred to you.  We’ll just gloss over that so you don’t feel embarrassed.  I’ll never mention it again.”  He unlatched the ladder and climbed upward.

Daryl followed after taking another moment of embarrassment for himself.  He pulled up the ladder and locked the hatch behind him.  Paul was pulling blankets out of a box and piling them on a dusty old mattress.  “Check it out, a mattress, even.  Lucky for us.”

“Us?  I’m not sharing that with you.”

“Oh?  Does that mean…I mean…are you saying you _don’t_ like me?” Paul asked quietly.  Daryl hesitated.  “It’s fine, you can say it.  Probably best to just get it out of the way.”  He started taking off his gloves, refusing to look up.

“Paul…I, um…I don’t…I mean, I never said…”

“It’s fine, Daryl.”  His voice was brisk.  “I was hoping you were such a shit to me because you liked me and didn’t know what to do about it—which is pretty childish, true, but you seem the type to be like that—but it’s probably time for me to accept that you’re shitty to me because you just don’t like me.”  He started spreading out the blankets.  “It’s fine.  But if you don’t wanna share the mattress you can find your own bed then.”

Daryl stood by awkwardly while Paul fussed with the blankets and completely ignored him.  Everything Daryl had ever known was telling him to leave, like he had every other time he found a man he liked.  He thought of Maggie and Sasha, and how they had lost the men they loved to this stupid, violent world they lived in now.  He imagined losing the one you love was painful, but the idea that he could die at any time without ever having been in love suddenly seemed so much worse.  He’d been afraid to love both before and after the apocalypse but now he couldn’t remember why it had seemed so important to stay alone.

Paul was pulling off his boots.  “Are you going to stand there all night?  I told you, you don’t have to keep watch.  Just take some blankets and make yourself a bed.”  He climbed under his own blankets.

“I like you,” Daryl blurted out.  “I don’t think I’ve ever said that to anyone before.  But I do, and it’s why I avoided you, and why I treated you like shit.  Well, partly why.  I’m kind of an asshole to everyone.  So I’m warning you now, that’s not gonna change.  Much.”

Paul smiled.  “I wouldn’t want it to.  Much.  I really like teasing you when you’re acting all ornery.”

“So…what do we do now?”

Paul drew back the covers on one side of the mattress.  “Hop in.”

Daryl immediately broke out in a nervous sweat.  “Now?  Already?”

“No, no!  I just meant sleep together, actual _sleep_.  Just snuggling, cuddling, and _not_ rushing into anything.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever cuddled before,” Daryl said skeptically.  He gingerly sat down on the mattress.

“Oh, you’re gonna love it, trust me.”  Paul wrapped his arms around Daryl and pulled him close.

\---


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These two crazy kids try to figure out how to be boyfriends in an apocalypse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, looks like I'm continuing with this! Just exploring this new relationship, and like Chapter 1, it can serve as the end of this story if I don't write any more. I may write more, we'll see. This story is really just vignettes or scenes of Daryl and Jesus navigating a relationship.

\---

Daryl woke up because his nose was ticklish.  He cracked his eyes open to see Paul’s chestnut-coloured hair in his face and realized he was completely curled around Paul, pressed against him from head to toe.  He allowed himself another moment to breathe in Paul’s scent before carefully trying to extricate himself without waking him up.

Paul found Daryl’s hand resting on his stomach and took it in his own.  “Not yet,” he murmured. “We’ve got time.”

Alarmed, Daryl quickly angled his hips away.  Paul chuckled and pushed back against him.  “Good morning, indeed.”  Daryl pulled his hand away and rolled over, cheeks burning.  “Oh come on, don’t be embarrassed.  You think I’m not in the same boat?”  Paul rolled over and pressed his hard length against Daryl’s leg, causing him to slightly relax.  “I’d suggest we take care of these—“Daryl tensed again immediately “—but it’s a bit soon for that.  I think slow is the way to go for us.  So for now…” He pressed his lips to Daryl’s neck.  “We’ll leave it at that.”

\---

“Scavenging with my new boyfriend!” Jesus sang cheerily as he drove them through the deserted streets.  “He’s super-hot but kinda surly and he’s good with a crossbow!”

“Stop,” Daryl groaned from the passenger seat.

“Oh please, I saw you smiling a second ago.”

“Is…is that what we are then?  Boyfriends?”  Daryl picked intently at a thread on his pants.

“I hope so.  At least, that’s what _I_ want.”

“Me too,” Daryl mumbled.

“Great.  Boyfriends then.”

“Isn’t there a better word?  We’re not teenagers.”

“Partners?”  Daryl made a face at that.  “I know, I’ve never liked it, either.  And I’ve had people seriously think I was talking about a business partner.”

“Makes it sound like we’re cops.”

“How about ‘lovers’?”

Daryl coughed uncomfortably.  “Don’t think I could actually say that.”

“Now you see why I’ve stuck with ‘boyfriend’.”

“Yeah.”

“So congrats, Daryl Dixon, you’re my new boyfriend.  And we’re exclusive, yes?  Right?” Paul looked over at him hopefully.

“Like there’d be anyone else interested in me.”

“You underestimate your appeal, boyfriend.”

“Whatever.”

“Seriously, though, what if someone else—“

“Ain’t no one else I’m interested in,” Daryl said gruffly.  “I’m with you.”

Paul stopped the car and put it in park.  He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned toward Daryl—who reflexively leaned away.  Paul smiled.  “I just wanna kiss you.  If that’s okay?”

Daryl nodded and leaned towards him uncertainly.  Paul slowly pressed his lips to Daryl’s, giving him time to back off if he changed his mind.  Daryl screwed up all of his courage to return Paul’s kiss.  He knows he’s supposed to close his eyes but he really wants to see Paul’s face, wants to memorize how it looks in this moment, serene and happy.

Paul pulled away, smiling.  “First of many.”

\---

They stopped to check out a pharmacy; even though they were nearly always empty, medical supplies were too scarce not to check.  The store shelves were cleared of everything good, but the back room yielded some boxes of over-the-counter pills and some random bottles of prescription meds.  Paul insisted on another kiss to celebrate.  This time, Daryl closed his eyes, and got so lost in the softness of Paul’s lips and the scent of his shampoo, he lost his balance upon parting.  Paul looked equally giddy.

Maybe it was the shared euphoria that caused them both to lower their guard as they loaded up the SUV.  Daryl didn’t hear any warning noises before a seeing a walker appear suddenly behind Paul and sink its teeth into his shoulder.  With a strangled cry, Daryl raised his crossbow and fired a bolt faster than he could ever remember doing.  It was a direct hit and the walker collapsed, pulling Paul down with it.

“You’re bit!  Paul, you’re bit!  You’re bit!” Daryl babbled as he ran over to Paul, who was already getting up and brushing himself off.

“I’m okay—“

“You’re bit!”

“No, I’m not, look.”  He gestured to his intact shoulder.  “It couldn’t get through my coat.”

Daryl sagged back against the SUV, out of breath.  “Shit.  That’s lucky.”

“Lucky?  That’s exactly why I wear his huge leather coat year round.  It’s not because I’m trying to sweat off some extra pounds.”  He grinned.

Daryl straightened.  “Well, you shouldn’t count on it to save your life,” he snapped.  He slammed the SUV’s hatch closed and headed for the passenger side.  “We need to move.  The noise might bring more.”

Paul climbed into the car and drove them silently for a few minutes before venturing, “So, you’re _angry_ that I didn’t die?”

“No, I’m angry that I care!” Daryl spat.

“Ouch.”

“This is why it’s stupid to get involved now!  It can all be over, at any damn second, for no good reason!  This is the way everything ends now!  Nobody’s gonna settle down, get married, and have babies, nobody’s gonna grow old together!”  He stopped to catch his breath and blink back tears.

“It’s okay to be scared, we all are,” Paul said calmly.  He kept his eyes on the road.  “There’s always a fear of losing someone, even before—“

“ _Not_ like this.”

“No, you’re right, the odds of early death are ridiculous now, but what should we do?  Wander alone through this crazy new world, never getting to know anyone?  What would be the point of living?  Without love, there is no point.  Without love, there’s no future.  We gotta keep going, gotta keep making babies.  Well…not _us_ , specifically.”  He shot Daryl a grin.  “You and I can keep those babies safe.  Maggie told me about Judith’s birth.  How _you_ were determined that she would survive, and went to find formula right away.  And she _has_ survived.  Because of you and everyone else in your family.”  He reached over and took Daryl’s hand.  “However long we have left, I want to spend it with my new boyfriend.”

Daryl couldn’t suppress a chuckle.  “Sure, until some hot young guy turns up.  There’s gotta be a few more of ‘em left.”

“I would tell them to save their pickup lines, because my boyfriend’s already the hottest guy left on earth.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Yup.  Feel better now?”

Daryl shrugged.  “I shoulda heard that walker coming.  I was too distracted.  By you.”  He stroked Paul’s hand with his thumb.

“I know.  I was, too.  But we’ve learned our lesson, right?  Always take a minute to get back in fight mode after a head-spinning kiss.”  He smiled sweetly at Daryl.  “We can do that.”

\---

Their big find was a hardware store that hadn’t been touched at all.  They took every single seed packet from the garden section and filled the rest of the SUV with tools they were most in need of.  They agreed they should probably come back this way with more trucks and more people.

They decided to spend the night in the same house as before, and head back to Alexandria in the morning.  Daryl wasn’t sure how he wanted to handle telling everyone about him and Jesus or if he even _wanted_ to tell everyone but he didn’t want to hide either, and shit, they don’t even live in the same place, how had he forgotten that?

“So we should talk about a few things, huh?”  Paul sprawled on the mattress next to the frozen-in-place Daryl.  “You’ve been sitting there for five minutes, looking increasingly worried.” 

“Just, um…thinking…about stuff.  It’s kind of overwhelming.”

“You’re worried about telling everyone, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

Paul grinned.  “Can’t be worse than how everyone found out about Rick and Michonne.

“And that was all your fault, remember?  But yeah, I’m hoping for something less embarrassing.”

“Well, we could just say nothing and let everyone kinda figure it out for themselves.  _Some_ body’s gonna see me kiss you goodbye at the gate tomorrow.  We’ll let the Alexandria grapevine take care of the rest.”

“Hm.  I kinda like that idea.  But…”  Daryl cleared his throat and darted a quick glance at Paul.  “About saying goodbye…”  Paul nodded, his face neutral.  “I mean…I’m fine with that.  If…if you’re fine with that?  Y’know…it’s fine.  If you think it’s fine…”  He snuck another glance at Paul, who stayed silent.  “Okay, fine.  If that’s what you want, that’s what I want.  I’m fine with it.”

Paul finally rolled his eyes and sighed loudly.  “Why don’t you just tell me what _you_ want, Daryl?  I can’t take the lead on every little thing in this relationship.  You’re gonna have to make the first move sometimes.  If for no other reason than to reassure me that you actually _want_ to be with me and aren’t just going along with whatever I say.”

“You’re right.  And I do want to be with you.”

“Then tell me what you want.”

“I want you to stay in Alexandria.  With me.”

“So…you want me to move in next door or—“

“No.  With me.  I want you in my house.”  Daryl took a deep breath.  “In my bed,” he said quietly.

Paul pulled Daryl toward him and kissed him loudly on the cheek.  “Babe!  So proud of you!  See, that wasn’t so bad!”  He kissed him on the lips.  “And I will definitely reward such efforts, by the way.”  He pulled Daryl down the rest of the way to the mattress and kissed him deeply, licking at his lips for entrance. 

Daryl opened his mouth slightly and tried awkwardly to return the kiss for a second before pulling away to exclaim “I don’t know how to do this!”

“Um, what?”

Daryl rolled away and refused to face Paul.  “Since I’m on a roll, might as well tell you I don’t know how to kiss.  I’m sure you could tell that, though.  Earlier today was my first.”

Paul’s eyes widened and he sat up.  “Holy shit, you’re a virgin?”

“What?  No!  Of course not!”

“Then…I’m confused…”

“Ugh.  This is embarrassing.  I changed my mind, I don’t wanna talk about it.”  He curled more in on himself.

“Oh, I think you _need_ to explain this to me, Daryl.”

“Forget it.”

“Would it help if I told you an embarrassing story about me?  Sort of even the score?”

Daryl looked over his shoulder at Paul.  “It might.”

“Okay.  And this stuff stays between us, right?  Boyfriends only, no blabbing to Carol.  So, in high school I was trying to be straight after getting beat up a few times.  I took this girl, Annie, out on a few dates, and then took her to junior prom.  And I wasn’t just pretending to be straight; I was really trying to make myself _be_ straight.”  Hearing the quiet pain in Paul’s voice, Daryl rolled over to face him again.  “So, what do straight kids do at prom?  Lose their virginity, of course.  We were in her basement rec room, hoping not to wake her parents.  But…I did it.  I managed to do it.  And I thought maybe I could make a go of this straight thing after all.  But Annie burst my bubble the next day.  See, she explained to me that I had…missed the mark, so to speak.”  Daryl looked at him quizzically.  Paul sighed.  “I had sex with the carpet.  She was still a virgin.  I _missed_ the _mark_.”  Understanding dawned and Daryl burst into laughter.  “Yup.  Pretty embarrassing.  But Annie said she was relieved.  It made her realize she wasn’t ready for sex.  And it made me realize I couldn’t be straight.  Because I was thinking about Keanu Reeves the entire time.”  Daryl’s laughter grew even louder.  “What? He’s hot.  The _Matrix_ movies were big at the time.  _Anyway_ , that was my embarrassing story.  It’s time to hear yours.”

Daryl’s laughter died and his cheeks turned red.  “Oh.  Mine’s worse, I think.  See, it’s true I’ve never had sex with a man…but I have with a few women.”

“Women you…didn’t kiss?”

Daryl closed his eyes.  “Prostitutes.  The only women I ever slept with were prostitutes.  And they didn’t kiss.  And they sure as hell didn’t cuddle.”

“Aw, babe…”  Paul held Daryl’s hand.  “Why?  Why only prostitutes?”

“’Cause of my brother.  I knew I was gay when I was a little kid but that shit ain’t allowed where I grew up.  So I ignored it, pushed it down.  But I couldn’t pretend to like girls.  I didn’t want to.  But Merle had to make sure I at least _looked_ straight to everyone else, so he took me to hookers sometimes, made sure people we knew heard about it.  I think he always knew I was gay, and he was just trying to protect me.”

“Well, you don’t have to hide anymore.  The people in our communities are great, you know that.  So…today really _was_ your first kiss?”  Daryl nodded reluctantly.  “Aww, I’m so honoured!”

“Shit, don’t make a big deal about it.”

Paul bounced on his knees.  “But it is a big deal!  You’ve got so many firsts to look forward to!”  He bent close to Daryl, his long hair making a curtain around their faces.  “We are gonna have so much fun.”  He grinned, and leaned even closer to press his lips softly to Daryl’s.

\---


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl and Jesus return to Alexandria and the news comes out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! Again, a reminder that there isn't a set end or number of chapters to this story, it's just a fun bit of fluff! That being said, I do have another chapter planned for this. Woot!

Daryl spent his first official morning in a relationship making out with his new boyfriend. Paul had been eager to give him kissing tips; he didn't judge Daryl for his lack of experience but rather seemed charmed by his tentativeness. It wasn't long before he was lazily swirling his tongue around Paul's like they’d been doing this all their lives. He liked being stretched out on top of Paul, covering his smaller body completely.

Paul’s hands ran down his shirt-covered back and Daryl involuntary stiffened at the contact with his scars. _There_ was a conversation he was dreading. But Paul’s hands moved lower and Daryl breathed a sigh of relief into Paul’s mouth—then made an odd squeaking sound when Paul squeezed both of his ass cheeks.

Paul pulled his mouth away to laugh. “That was a delightful sound.”

“You startled me.”

“Do you know how long I’ve been dreaming about getting my hands on this ass?” Paul squeezed again for emphasis.

“Really?” Daryl looked back at his own butt. “S’nothing special.”

“Oh, but it is.”

“You were really dreamin’ about it?”

“Mm-hmm. Not just your ass, though.” Paul bit his lip and started running his hands all over Daryl. “I dreamed about touching this beautiful broad chest, these shoulders, your arms—god, these fucking arms!” He squeezed Daryl’s biceps. “You _must_ know how sexy your arms are!”

“Never really thought about it,” Daryl mumbled, his cheeks turning red.

“Well, now you know,” Paul said softly. “Just how sexy you are.”

***

“Nice; a good amount of tools and seeds. All useful stuff." Rick looked appraisingly over the haul Daryl and Paul had brought back. "Find anything special?"  
  
Daryl shook his head but Paul piped up, "I did!"  Daryl looked at him questioningly and Paul nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, I found something that'll keep me warm at night."  
  
Understanding dawned on Daryl just as Rick asked "What did you find?"  
  
Paul wrapped an arm around Daryl's waist and grinned. "A boyfriend." Daryl buried his face in his hands with a groan.

Michonne burst out laughing but Rick looked confused. “You...you found some new people out there?”

Aaron snorted and hid his face in Eric’s shoulder. Even Carl was grinning.

“No…” Paul made a show of taking Daryl's hand. “I found a boyfriend in the surly redneck we all know and love.”

“Oh?...Oh! I see. Um...congratulations?” Rick shrugged. “I don't know what to say. But I'm happy for you.”

“That's all you need to say, hon,” Michonne chuckled, wrapping an arm each around Paul and Daryl for a quick hug.

“Yes, please don’t say anything more,” Daryl grumbled. Rick clasped his hand and gave him a one-armed hug.

“Yes, the surly redneck is still surly, romance hasn’t changed that.” Paul raised an eyebrow. “Yet.”

“So when did this happen? _How_ did this happen?” Eric asked.

“Y’all don’t need to know the details,” Daryl said quickly, before Paul could get a word out. Paul mouthed “We’ll talk later” at Eric. Daryl rolled his eyes and pulled Paul toward his house. “Y’all can take care of the inventory, right? Thanks.”

“What’s the big hurry, babe?” Paul teased.

“You know what. Keepin’ you from blabbin’.”

“Or maybe you just want me all to yourself, hmm?” He grabbed Daryl’s hand again. “Relax. The hard part’s over, the news is out.”

“Yeah, it’s out, but now everyone’ll be askin’ for details, like Eric did.”

“Is that really so bad? They’re your family, they’re happy for you, of course they want to know details.” Daryl said nothing, just chewed on a fingernail. “Are you ashamed of us?”

“No.” Daryl said firmly. “I just ain’t used to everyone knowin’ my business. Ain’t used to having any business for people _to_ _know_.” He rolled his shoulders uncomfortably. “Don’t like everyone’s attention being on me, wanting to know stuff.”

“Well, that happens when people care about you. It’s a good thing, Daryl, trust me.” He raised their joined hands and gently kissed Daryl’s knuckles.

***

“I can’t believe we’re doin’ this,” Daryl growled. He and Paul stood on Rick and Michonne’s front porch.

“Again, they’re happy for you. This is a celebration dinner!”

“It’s a fucking double date, is what it is! I thought the good part about bein’ boyfriends in an apocalypse is that we wouldn’t have to do stuff like that.”

“Don’t think of it like that! It’s just dinner with Rick and Michonne, something you’ve done a thousand times.”

“Not the same and you know it.”

The door opened to reveal Michonne, wearing a dress and a big smile. “Daryl! So glad you could make it! And who’s your new man?”

Daryl glared at Paul. “See? I told you, _not_ the same.”

Paul pulled Daryl into the house. “Okay, enough teasing, guys, you know how much he hates it.”

“Oh, but that’s what makes it so fun.” Rick came out of the kitchen to put a large pot of stew on the set dining room table.

“Don’t start,” Daryl threatened, taking his seat. Everyone else followed suit; Paul and Daryl on one side of the table, Rick and Michonne on the other. “Where’s Carl and Judith?”

“Next door.” Rick folded his hands on the table. “This dinner is couples only.” Daryl looked ready to explode. “Alright, we won’t tease, but we will ask questions.”

“That’s teasin’!”

“No, it’s not! It’s being interested in my brother’s love life. And his life in general.”

“Probably shouldn’t say ‘love life’, though,” Paul whispered. “He probably thinks that’s teasing.”

“Well, hell, Daryl, until today I didn’t think you’d ever had a love life so of course I’m gonna be curious!”

“To be honest,” Michonne piped up while dishing out the stew, “I’d started to think you were asexual or you’d had some sort of accident that left you looking like a Ken doll down below.”

Paul burst out laughing while Daryl growled, “That definitely counts as teasing.”

“Last one, we swear.” Rick nodded at Michonne. “But seriously, Daryl, we know so little of your past, I mean…” He groped for words. “...were you always gay and you just never told us?”

“‘Course I always been gay! I didn’t just change my mind yesterday!”

“Well, babe, for some people it _does_ happen like that,” Paul cut in. “It just kinda hits them all at once.”

“Well, not me.”

“So you and Carol really never had a thing?” Michonne asked.

“No way. She just likes to embarrass me with her stupid come-on lines. Apparently teasing me is a family hobby,” he said pointedly.

“Huh. I gotta say, I had no idea,” Rick admitted. “Did your family know? Did Merle?”

“Family: hell no. But Merle? We never said it out loud but I’m pretty sure he knew.” Daryl played with his spoon. “Wasn’t like I meant to keep it secret from you guys, it’s just not something I ever talked about.”

“Or acted on?” Michonne said knowingly.

“O’course not. You know what redneck Georgia families are like.”

Rick nodded sadly. “Well, I hope you know you never have to hide anything from _us_. We’re your family now, and we accept you. Everything about you.”

Daryl just nodded, not trusting himself to talk.

Paul cut the silence by saying brightly, “And I’m the lucky fella who won his heart.”

“Yeah…” Rick now focused his gaze on Paul. “And exactly what are your intentions with my brother here?”

Paul’s smile dropped. “My what?”

“Your intentions. I don’t know much about your love life either, Jesus.” He narrowed his eyes. “Are you just a fan of the chase but don’t stick around for the long haul? Maybe this is just a fling for you. For all I know, there’s a trail of broken hearts all over Hilltop with your name on it,” Rick flatly accused.

Paul chuckled nervously and looked to Michonne for help. She gazed back with her steeliest expression, one eyebrow raised. “Oh crap,” he muttered. “Um...I’m definitely not just in it for the chase. Or just for a fling.” He glanced at Daryl who remained silent and red-faced with embarrassment. “I’m serious about this, and I’ve already told Daryl that.” Rick and Michonne shared a glance and then seemed to relax a bit. Paul relaxed too. “And there’s no trail of broken hearts, believe me. Just one slightly disgruntled ex-fling.” He laughed.

Daryl blurted, “What?!” He was aghast. “Who?! Do I know him?”

Rick smirked at Paul. “Good luck with that.”

***

“Alex?! That pretty-boy nurse?!”

Paul rubbed his face tiredly as he followed Daryl into his--their--house. “Yes, that Alex.”

“I hate that guy,” Daryl spat as he practically ran up the stairs.

“Really?” Paul called after him skeptically. “I don’t think you’ve ever even _spoken_ to him. I bet you’ve never spared a thought for the guy until tonight.”

“Not true. I never liked the look of him.”

Paul arrived in the bedroom to find Daryl pacing. “Daryl, stop.”

“How long?”

“Babe, do you really wanna know this?”

“Don’t call me babe when I’m mad!”

“Why are you mad?” Paul threw his hands in the air. “You must have realized I’ve been with other men. Hell, you’ve been with women and I’m not having a jealous fit about it!”

“This is different, this is someone I know.”

“Seriously, I’d be surprised if you could pick the guy out of a lineup,” Paul said drily.

“How long?”

“I’ll tell you, but only if you sit down and calm down.”

Daryl hesitated before sitting heavily on the bed. He pulled off his boots and sat cross-legged. “Calm enough for you?”

“Yes.” Paul pulled off his own boots and mirrored Daryl’s position on the bed. “Okay. I didn’t actually let anyone at Hilltop even know I was gay for almost a year after I got there. But once I did, Alex kinda...approached me. I made it clear to him that I was _not_ looking for an actual relationship, just someone to blow off steam with.” Daryl snorted derisively. “I’m not going to apologize for that, Daryl. Needing physical contact. Liking sex. It’s great stress relief, and this new world is nothing but stressful. But that’s all it was. I didn’t really...like...Alex as a person. Not that he’s a bad person, he’s just not someone I connected with.”

“Except sexually,” Daryl accused.

“Yes. Some people can have sex without romantic feelings, and I’m one of them. Some people can’t, and I think _you’re_ one of those people.”

Daryl thought a moment before mumbling, “Maybe.”

“And it turns out Alex is one of those people too. He liked me from the beginning but said okay to just a physical relationship--always a bad idea. After three months, he couldn’t take it anymore, he said he wanted a real relationship. And I told him I didn’t. He kept badgering me, so I finally had to be blunt with him and tell him that I just didn’t feel that way about him.”

“Bet that went over well.”

Paul smiled grimly. “Yup. He didn’t talk to me at all for a long time. Even now, he only speaks to me when absolutely necessary. But at least he doesn’t glare at me every chance he gets anymore. Anyways, after that, I didn’t even bother looking for another stress relief candidate; I was too afraid it would end up the same way.” He reached out and held both of Daryl’s hands. “And that is the only action I have gotten since the world went to hell, sir. So you have no reason to be all unreasonably jealous. You are the only person I have had feelings for since the turn. Okay? Tell me you’re okay.” He shook Daryl’s hands gently.

“Yeah, fine.”

“No, not fine. Are you okay with this? Or are you going to dwell on it and somehow convince yourself that I’m not being honest when I tell you that I _only_ have eyes for you? Because I can totally see you doing that.”

“I’d like to be insulted, but...you’re probably right.”

“Okay, so maybe try _not_ to do that? And just believe me when I tell you I only want you?” Paul gave a hopeful smile.

“Yeah. I’ll, uh...I’ll try to believe you.”

Paul leaned forward and gave Daryl a peck on the lips. “Please give it your best effort.”

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm merrymerricat on tumblr, come say hi!

**Author's Note:**

> More chapters may come, but it's not a promise. There will never be cliffhanger endings on this fic, though, it's just a fluffy slice-of-life story.


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